Chapter 623: Hot Search Controversy
“Finally, we’ve won.”
The instant Zhang Yu crossed the finish line, he looked at Dao Qiankun, who had arrived to meet him, and immediately passed him the Relay Ball.
“Brother Dao,” Zhang Yu said, “I’ve finally fulfilled my mission.”
Dao Qiankun smiled as he accepted the Relay Ball. “You did an excellent job,” he replied. “Thank you for your hard work.”
Meanwhile, just as Zhang Yu and Jiutian Liu were crossing the finish line in quick succession, the colossal dragon burst through the ocean’s surface and crashed heavily back into the water with a deafening boom, sending massive waves crashing in all directions.
The dragon floated motionless in the sea, utterly silent, like a corpse.
Vast quantities of blood gushed from the gaping wounds blasted open along its flank, quickly staining the surrounding waters crimson.
Just as the audience began to speculate whether Ying Zhoufan had been critically injured or even killed by the explosion… a fleshy bulge suddenly swelled mid-body along the dragon’s flank. The bulge burst open, and a figure shot skyward, hurtling across the finish line in an instant.
Third place: Ying Zhoufan.
Having crossed the finish line, Ying Zhoufan descended, casting a venomous glance at the corpse-like dragon body and the blood-soaked Zhang Yu standing nearby.
“That bastard…” Ying Zhoufan’s mind replayed the events that had just unfolded.
As Zhang Yu, Jiutian Liu, and Ying Zhoufan engaged in their final, fierce battle within the underwater cavern, vying for the fastest champion’s title in this stage, Ying Zhoufan secretly activated the Celestial Demon Myriad Transformations. He began to transform his body, preparing for his final bid for victory.
He reconsolidated his humanoid form within the dragon’s body, gradually transforming the dragon’s body into an outer shell.
Ying Zhoufan planned to entangle Zhang Yu and Jiutian Liu with the dragon body during the final sprint, break free from the encirclement, and seize first place.
He had already envisioned himself breaking free from the conflict between Zhang Yu and Jiutian Liu, overpowering both Human Race Heavenly Chosen, securing first place in this stage, trending on social media, giving interviews, and being worshiped by countless monsterfolk…
Until the Heavenly Sun Radiance God erupted in surging flames within the dragon body, blasting a massive hole in its rear.
Simultaneously, under Zhang Yu’s influence, the shell-like dragon body gradually transformed into a temporary magical artifact.
“That scum…” Ying Zhoufan thought bitterly. “He sensed my dragon body gradually losing its vitality, turning into a lifeless husk, and then used the Heaven and Earth Cataclysmic Formless Heart Weapon to temporarily transform it into a magical artifact. This both accelerated my final expulsion and prevented me from breaking free.”
“This means that even in the final clash, at the most intense moment of his battle against Jiutian Liu, he never let his guard down against me. He even managed to divert his attention to devise a countermeasure…”
“Just how meticulously did this guy plan everything? His overall strength was about equal to mine, yet he squeezed every last ounce of power to pull this off…”
Despite securing third place, Ying Zhoufan felt no joy or excitement whatsoever.
Ever since Zhang Yu had taken control, the competition had slipped entirely from his grasp, forcing him to dance to Zhang Yu’s rhythm. Even his final desperate counterattack was stifled in its infancy.
Ying Zhoufan felt like a horse bound by reins, contributing nothing remarkable to this grand battle.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Zhang Yu waved toward the sea. In the next moment, a dark figure surged from the waves and flew directly to his side — the Azure Water Golden Crystal Armor.
Seeing this, Jiutian Liu thought to himself, “So, the reason he was so badly injured was because he removed the Azure Water Golden Crystal Armor, preferring to endure the Divine Shuttle’s impact with his own physical body rather than risk damaging the armor.”
“Did this kid already have the aftermath of the race in mind before he even jumped onto the Divine Shuttle?”
“Should I call him reckless… or simply courageous?”
As the owner of the Nine Heavens Divine Shuttle, Jiutian Liu knew better than anyone the sheer speed and impact force of the Divine Shuttle, especially when tunneling underground. The pressure and impact between the rock strata and the Divine Shuttle intensified dramatically.
Zhang Yu’s act of removing his armor and jumping on the vehicle demonstrated not only absolute confidence in his physical body but also an unwavering commitment to protecting his property. Even as his opponent, Jiutian Liu couldn’t help but feel a grudging admiration.
At that moment, Zhang Yu shuddered violently, shaking off the blood and grime to reveal his battered body, covered in wounds and bruises.
He donned the Azure Water Golden Crystal Armor once more, exerting all his control to temporarily close his wounds and continuously dissolve the clotted blood, desperately trying to heal himself.
Immediately after equipping the armor, Zhang Yu’s first action was to check if the Azure Water Golden Crystal Armor could unlock more content from the Monster Saint’s Myriad Transformations Divine Scripture.
“It’s not working?”
The dragon body had discharged a massive amount of blood, staining the entire sea crimson, and naturally, the Azure Water Golden Crystal Armor submerged within it had absorbed plenty of monster blood. Yet Zhang Yu discovered that… no new cultivation art content was revealed.
Zhang Yu speculated inwardly, “Is it because it’s a single monsterfolk lineage? No matter how much, it’s useless? Do I need a greater variety of monsterfolk types?”
Next, Zhang Yu attempted to control the remaining Demon Beasts in the sea, only to find that a large number of Fish Monsters had lost contact.
“Did their lifespans expire?”
Zhang Yu knew that these Demon Beasts, hastily bred and forcibly grown, had essentially burned through their life potential in a short burst. They were not only inedible but also short-lived, often exhausting themselves after a single battle.
Meanwhile, Li Shiwei, a Dao Techniques Department student and teammate, watched Zhang Yu claim first place with a complex expression.
Seeing Zhang Yu hand the Relay Ball to Dao Qiankun, and Dao Qiankun smile encouragingly at him, only intensified her feeling that her position had been stolen.
Yet she, as the Dao Techniques Department’s second-ranked student, had always been Brother Dao’s most loyal follower and the one the leadership had specifically instructed to fully support Dao Qiankun’s championship bid.
She couldn’t resist sending Dao Qiankun a message: “Brother Dao, Zhang Yu’s natural speed isn’t the fastest. If it weren’t for that monsterfolk’s assistance, he probably wouldn’t even have seen Jiutian Liu’s shadow. Wouldn’t you say that’s just luck?”
Dao Qiankun: “Luck?”
Dao Qiankun: “You could say that. But what in this world is entirely devoid of luck?”
Dao Qiankun: “If you ask me, at least in this race, Zhang Yu’s speed was indeed the fastest.”
Li Shiwei: “Huh? Why?”
Dao Qiankun: “If Jiutian Liu’s approach was like absconding with stolen funds, then Zhang Yu’s was like sneaking across borders.”
Dao Qiankun: “In this world, merely being fast yourself isn’t true speed.”
Dao Qiankun: “The one who can step on the fastest person is the truly fastest. To advance by stepping on others is the fastest path in this world.”
Li Shiwei stared at the message from Dao Qiankun, a thoughtful glint in her eyes.
Li Shiwei: “Brother! In the next match, please step on me to advance!”
Dao Qiankun: “Don’t overthink it. You’re all juniors I admire. I’ll make good use of you, and after ascending the throne, I’ll share the glory with you.”
Meanwhile, on the other side, Kuang Tianqing fixed her gaze on Zhang Yu, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “Hmph, excellent… Zhang Yu is becoming increasingly worthy of being defeated.”
“This prey is growing more and more delectable.”
True Monarch Tranquility stood on the opposite side of the arena, his Bionic Eye displaying a flood of Spirit Realm information. The stream overflowed with heated debates about Zhang Yu, ranging from scathing criticism to outright attacks.
“Zhang Yu’s actions are a blatant act of trampling and discrimination against the monsterfolk. We strongly recommend his immediate disqualification from the competition.”
“Is it really necessary to blow up an opponent’s butt during a competition? Isn’t that just humiliating the monsterfolk?”
“A monsterfolk’s butt is still a butt!”
Xiang Shan, currently working to pay off his debts, glanced at the news and immediately rushed to Zhang Yu’s comment section to leave a message: “This guy is a habitual monsterfolk discriminator. Back when he was in the Civil Engineering Department, he bullied countless monsterfolk. He got whitewashed by the Artifact Refinement Department for a while, but recently he couldn’t help himself again.”
Bei Wufeng, posting from an alt account, sneered and replied: “You little beast need to be chained up again, huh? [Dog Chain] You’re so repulsive — why are you still at Myriad Laws? Can’t you crawl back to Celestial Monsters already? [Vomit] [Vomit] [Vomit]”
True Monarch Tranquility scanned the trending topics on social media. Watching Zhang Yu’s comment section devolve into a battlefield, a faint smile crept across his lips.
In his view, controversy meant attention, which meant traffic, which meant higher value.
Moreover, discriminating against monsterfolk wasn’t a particularly damaging black mark; rather, it made Zhang Yu seem distinctive and unique.
As for the other trending topics, True Monarch Tranquility skimmed through them all…
The theories swirling around Zhang Yu — his rejection of Mu Qiansi symbolizing a revival of classical aesthetics, the idea that cultivating ugliness was the best way to counter Joyful Union University, and even the suggestion that Zhang Yu might be gay and possess a talent for homosexual dual cultivation — all seemed insignificant to True Monarch Tranquility, merely adding fuel to the fire of Zhang Yu’s rising popularity.
Suddenly, True Monarch Tranquility’s gaze sharpened. He realized a Spirit Transformation Divine Monarch had spoken up.
Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “Reject the tall and muscular! Reject the relentless gaze! Cultivators don’t need to be tall and strong; they can be petite and slender, forging their own unique path.”
The Spirit Transformation Divine Monarch’s statement immediately sparked widespread debate across the Spirit Realm.
First, some older Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators jumped in to voice their support.
Then, many argued that Divine Monarch Seven Emotions’ words were aimed at undermining Joyful Union University, which had long been a staunch advocate of mainstream aesthetics, with many of its Immortal Dao Technologies rooted in these ideals.
Soon, some began suggesting that rejecting mainstream aesthetics could provide an advantage in countering existing dual cultivation techniques.
As an Old Nascent Soul cultivator, True Monarch Tranquility had witnessed firsthand the gradual evolution of Kunxu’s aesthetics and fashion trends.
He had watched generation after generation of cultivators, in their relentless pursuit of power, gradually come to believe that “big is beautiful,” “muscular is beautiful,” and “tall is beautiful.”
Watching the cultivators once again scramble to chase after the “pale, small, and thin” to gain an advantage in the dual cultivation race, True Monarch Tranquility couldn’t help but sigh, “Aesthetics are just a circle. You might admire the tall and strong to become stronger, or you might pursue the short and slender for the same reason.”
“Zhang Yu might just be the spark that ignites the next aesthetic revolution in the Immortal Dao.”
“But…”
Glancing at the latest advertising bids, True Monarch Tranquility felt a surge of delight. “As expected, money remains the ultimate beauty.”
In the current advertising bid rankings, Zhang Yu had surged to second place, trailing only Kuang Tianqing, who held the top spot.
True Monarch Tranquility knew that once the Relay Ball competition began, various companies would start bidding for advertising slots in the upcoming finals.
Naturally, the initial rankings wouldn’t be identical to the previous round, constantly shifting based on the contestants’ performances in the Relay Ball.
Kuang Tianqing’s dazzling performance in the third stealth challenge had propelled her straight to the top spot.
Zhang Yu, riding the momentum of his victory in the fourth round and a surge in popularity, had now secured second place.
True Monarch Tranquility was confident that once Dao Qiankun entered the fifth round, the advertising bids would skyrocket, making him a strong contender for first place.